i LOVE popovers, and i've had lots of popover help from the home cooking hounds. they are really simple to make, and totally delicious.

i use the bittman recipe, which i summarized here (in my old board freddie incarnation): http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/... . Carb Lover also suggested a recipe on that thread, which i haven't tried.

Other suggestions that were made that were very helpful:--Dusting the sides with grated parmesan (Pat Hammond's great suggestion). The baked cheese smell is heavenly, and these make a lovely savory variation.--NOT overmixing or food processing (see my popover follow up: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...)--Spraying the pan with that toxic aerosol cooking oil with flour does add to puffiness. I did an experiment baking 6 with and 6 without the stuff and they definitely added pop. (And I think I took a picture, which I'll post, if I find it.) But I'm ambivalent about whether that stuff is meant for human consumption.

Adding cinnamon/nutmeg/etc doesn't work. These are too fluffy and light to withstand such treatment. Plain, or with cheese, is the way to go.

slowly mix in 1 cup flour. the batter should be smooth. i put the batter into a pyrex-y thing with a spout, because you want to work pretty fast to retain the heat of the pan. (i theorize that the hot pan and cold batter contribute to the puffing, but have no idea).

bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then 350 for 15 minutes. no peeking, opening oven door, etc until 30 minutes are up. (if you bake at 425 for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat, they turn out crispier).

i'd love to hear your experience with the popover pan, and if you think it makes a difference. i use a regular cheapo muffin pan. enjoy!

I cooked individual yorkshire puddings in a popover pan, to serve with beef tendnerloin, and they were delicious. I think they are moister than popovers and they stood up well to being drenched in a red wine/au juice sauce. As with popovers, the batter was chilled and the pan was heated in a 450 degree ovenwith some beef fat.